MCG Curator ‘In Shock’ as Two-Day Ashes Test Sparks AUS$10m Shortfall

Melbourne Cricket Ground head curator Matt Page admitted he was in “shock” after the fourth Ashes Test finished inside two days due to an excessively lively pitch that produced 36 wickets in 142 overs.

England won by four wickets for their first victory in Australia since 2011, but the shortened match left Cricket Australia facing a revenue hit of over AUS$10 million, with tens of thousands of ticket refunds for days three to five.

Page conceded the surface didn’t perform as intended, while captains Ben Stokes and Steve Smith criticised it as too difficult. The ICC will assess the pitch rating.